An Unexpected Mother's Day Surprise
by Col3725
Summary: Booth surprises Brennan (and Christine) on Mother's Day


**_I hadn't planned on writing anything for Mother's Day, but this idea popped into my head and I couldn't resist. Hope you like it :)_**

* * *

Brennan woke up at the feeling of arms wrapping themselves around her torso. She smiled, but it faltered just a bit at the reminder that the body pressed against her back didn't belong to Booth, but their four year-old daughter. She rolled to her other side and came face to face with Christine. She lifted her hand and brushed some of the little girl's dark blonde hair out of her face. "Morning, Honey." Christine's eyes were closed, but her breathing pattern indicated that she wasn't sleeping.

Christine blinked her eyes open and sat up. "Happy Mommy's Day!" She threw her arms up and beamed.

Brennan smiled, though it was more than a little forced. "Thank you."

"Mommy," Christine started, tugging on the hem of her nightgown, "is Daddy coming home yet?"

Brennan sighed. Booth, the source of her less than enthusiastic attitude towards this year's Mother's Day. She missed him terribly. He had been gone four months on an undercover operation and wasn't slated to return home for another two. "Daddy has important work to do, remember? He won't be home for eight more weeks." She held up eight fingers.

Christine counted each aloud and pouted. "But I miss him. I want him home now."

Brennan pulled her daughter into a hug and nuzzled her face into the little girl's hair. "I miss him too, Sweetheart." Her chest tightened when Christine's blue eyes glossed over and tears began to fall down her cheeks. "Maybe he'll be able to call today." She paused. "How about we go to the diner for breakfast?"

Christine lit up. "Yay! I want pancakes."

"Then you can have pancakes. Go pick out what you want to wear and I'll help you get dressed."

Christine crawled off the bed and ran down the hallway to her room only to come back less than a minute later.

"That was fast."

Christine giggled. "I drawed you something, Mommy, and taked these from the garden earlier." She thrust a pink construction paper card towards her mother and dropped a few plucked dandelions into her hand.

Brennan couldn't help but smile genuinely at her daughter's thoughtfulness. "Thank you, Honey. I love the flowers."

"Mommy, these are weeds, not flowers." Christine laughed. "I didn't want to take the flowers 'cause they're too pretty and you and Daddy telled me not to take the flowers until I got premission."

"Well, thank you for the weeds and for following the rules."

"I go pick out my clothes now." Christine skipped out of the room and disappeared.

Brennan checked her phone to make sure she didn't miss any calls or texts from Booth. She didn't. Sighing, she got out of bed, threw on her robe, and headed down the hallway after Christine.

* * *

After helping Christine into her pink and white butterfly dress, French braiding her hair, and dressing herself in jeans and a casual blousy shirt, Brennan led the way downstairs. She grabbed her purse while Christine slipped on her white bejeweled flip flops and climbed up onto the bench to retrieve her jean jacket. The little girl shrugged the jacket on and reached for the door handle, stopping when her mother called her name. She turned her head and looked up. "Yes, Mommy?"

"Do you have to use the bathroom before we leave?"

Christine shook her head. "Nope."

"Are you sure?"

Christine nodded. "Yes, Mommy. I don't gots to go potty. I swear." She turned back to the door and turned the deadbolt. She pulled open the door and squealed.

Brennan jumped back. "What's wrong, Honey?"

Christine dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around the puppy that was sitting on the welcome mat, panting in the mid morning spring heat. She kissed its head and sat back on her legs, staring at the dog.

Brennan's eyes widened. "What the—?" She set her purse down on the bench and noticed the card sticking out of the dog's collar. She leaned over and snatched it. Untucking the lip of the envelope and pulling out the card, she opened it and blinked. All it said was 'turn around'. She shrugged and did as the card instructed. Her jaw slacked and she dropped the card at the sight that met her.

"Happy Mother's Day, Bones," Booth said, smiling.

Brennan gasped and threw her hand over her mouth. Her eyes welled up and she swallowed.

Hearing a familiar voice, Christine stopped attacking the dog with kisses and strokes and turned her head. "Daddy!" The little girl jumped to her feet and ran past her mother, throwing herself at her father. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he raised off his knee and lifted her into the air. "You're home!" Hooking her legs around his waist, she hugged him tight, not wanting to let go for anything.

Brennan was still frozen at the door, tears now spilling over and running down her cheeks. "You—but—what—how?"

Booth laughed. "Surprise!"

Brennan looked over her should at the puppy, who was looking at her with large, dark brown eyes, his black snout tipped upwards. Her head snapped back to Booth and she blinked. "You?"

Booth nodded. "Who else?"

Brennan started walking towards Booth, but halfway to him, she sped up to a jog. Reaching him, she threw her arms around him.

"I missed you, Bones," he sighed into her hair.

"I missed you too," Brennan swallowed, breathing in his scent and exhaling, "so much." She stepped back and wrinkled her brow. "I don't understand. You were supposed to be gone six months."

"When the job's done, it's done. We caught the guy, threw his a–," he cleared his throat, "butt in jail."

Christine giggled. "Daddy said butt."

He pretended to munch on her little girl's cheek, causing her to laugh loud and wriggle in his arms. He closed the gap between him and Brennan, breaking the kiss before it could escalate to something that would be inappropriate for a four year-old to witness. He sighed, a huge smile on his face. He had wanted to do that for months, but hadn't been able to for obvious reasons.

Christine squirmed, so he set her down. She grabbed his hand and tugged him towards the front door. "Daddy, look at my new puppy. I'm gonna call her Pickles."

"Why?"

"'Cause that's what her taggy thing says." Christine scooped up the black and brown German Shepherd mix puppy, which whimpered in response, and held her close to her chest, kissing her on top of her head.

Booth scratched one of Pickles' pointy ears and turned to look at Brennan. They had discussed the idea of getting Christine a puppy a few weeks before he left, but he was still a little nervous about Brennan's reaction.

Brennan smiled up at him and pressed herself to his side, looping her arm around his waist and resting her head against his chest. "I'm glad you're home," she whispered, watching Christine play with Pickles in the foyer.

"I'm glad to be home," he squeezed her hip and smiled at his Angel; he had never seen her so happy.

"The puppy was only a distraction, wasn't it? You were hiding somewhere this whole time and were waiting for the right moment to surprise us."

"Guilty."

"I love my surprise, Booth," she sighed, "thank you."

"You're welcome." He paused. "Just so you know there are more surprises coming."

Brennan looked up at him.

"Today's your day, Bones. You deserve it. You're a great mom. Christine's lucky and so is our little bean," he rested his hand against her little baby bump, "and I'm the luckiest guy in the world."

Brennan swallowed, placing her hand on top of his.

"Mommy, Daddy," Christine interrupted, "did you see my new puppy?" She held the puppy out for them to see. "Can we take her to the diner for breakfast? Mommy said I can get pancakes."

"The puppy has to stay here, Honey, but it will be here when we get back."

Christine pouted. "Promise, Daddy?"

Booth smiled. "I promise. C'mere, I'll show you where she'll be." He separated himself from Brennan and motioned for she and Christine to follow him into the kitchen where he had set up all the things for the puppy, like water and food bowls, toys, and a crate with the bed.

Once the dog was locked up, the newly reunited trio headed out the door. At what looked to be an unpromising, rather depressing Mother's Day from the start, turned into the best day Booth, Brennan, and Christine had had in the last four months.


End file.
